Aug 28, 2014

Google Reveals Drone Delivery Program, 'Project Wing'

(Image source: Google via The Atlantic)
BY att !icht
"e use# to thin$ o% #rones e&clusivel' as high()o*ere# militar' machines, +ut that #e%inition has
shi%te# in the last 'ear, -rom high(tech #eliveries to aerial )hotogra)h' to .uestiona+le stunts
involving %ire*or$s, unmanne# aerial vehicles have +ecome the latest tech vogue %or some time
no*,
/o, reall', this ne*s *as inevita+le: Google has 0ust unveile# their o*n ta$e on #rones, #u++e#
!ro0ect "ing,
The tech giant1s research #ivision, Google 2, has +een *or$ing *ith an Australian 3A4 com)an'
%or the )ast t*o 'ears on a )rotot')e #eliver' #rone, The team alrea#' has a %e* success%ul test runs
un#er its +elt, +ut the )ro0ect is still a long *a' %rom commercial a))lication,
A *riter %or The Atlantic +ro$e the stor' *ith a length' article on !ro0ect "ing, *hich goes into
Google1s vision %or their #rones: to "transform people's relationship to stuff" as )art o% the so(
calle# 5sharing econom',5
"The idea goes like this !ecause people can't assume near"instantaneous delivery of #hatever
they need, they stockpile things$ $$$ %ach of these things is a personal possession that sits
around, em&odying all this energy and industrial effort unproductively$ $$$ The #orld could
make much less stuff &ecause efficient, digital logistics #ould let each asset &e used &y more
people$"
That1s a +it more am+itious than *hat Ama6on )romise# *hen it reveale# its #eliver' #rone
)rogram +ac$ in 7ec, 2018 9 +ac$ then, :;< =e%% Be6os claime# his #rones *oul# +e ca)a+le o%
80(minute #eliveries +' 2018,
But there are still a lot o% hur#les +et*een the #ra*ing +oar# an# a realistic #rone #eliver' )rogram:
o+0ect avoi#ance an# a sa%e #eliver' metho# %or the autonomous #rones are some o% Google1s main
challenges, An# then, o% course, there are the %e#s,
!art o% the reason !ro0ect "ing is o)erating out o% Australia at the moment is +ecause the countr'
has more rela&e# #rone la*s than the 3,/, The -e#eral Aviation A#ministration has +anne#
commercial #rone use until the' can *or$ out a set o% gui#elines 9 an# recent re)orts suggest that
)rocess might ta$e longer than the' thought, stretching *ell )ast ne&t %all1s #ea#line, (4i#eo via
>B:)